Quentin strives to help a friend who is suffering. Elliot and Margo's negotiations take a shocking turn. Julia and Kady discover a possible key to stopping Reynard.
Last week's episode of The Magicians ended on the question of if Alice was still alive somehow. Quentin was determined to live a life without magic. That became complicated and he was lured back in to its seductive powers. But then, he was resolved to make better choices. And yet, he saw Alice on the streets of New York City asking for help. Was that real? Or was it just his mind playing tricks on him? This hour teases this mystery along for a little bit. But it also wisely gives the audience some definitive answers. This really is Alice communicating with him. It's not some kind of stress-induced hallucination. But just because he can see Alice, that doesn't make her actions and desires pure. In fact, Quentin following her instructions just leads to more tricks and chaos. Something that becomes more apparent and deliberate as the story goes along. That's a lot of fun to watch - largely because Quentin interacting with Alice's parents is so delightful since they are so out-of-touch with who their daughter really was.It's understandable that Alice's parents would return now. Their daughter has just died in a similar way to their son. Their reactions are just as valid as Quentin's and the rest of the protagonists in Fillory. Quentin believes it's the right thing to do to tell them how Alice died. It's amusing that they really don't want to hear about it. They still want to make everything about them and how they are suffering. They really are selfish and narcissistic people. But they also provide hope that Alice could be returned to them. Quentin can't make sense of what his vision of Alice wants him to do. Her father provides him with the answers. He has knowledge of helping ghosts move on to a better place. So that means he and Quentin get distracted with this mission instead of actually talking. Of course, the ceremony requires the people to tell the truth about their feelings for Alice. That's something hard for her parents to do. And in the end, that's the point. Alice is just doing all of this to mess with them. She reveals to Quentin that she is still the niffin version of her. She didn't die from Quentin's cacodemon. Instead, she is now trapped inside the tattoo on his back. That means she can appear whenever she wants and continue to mess with his life for a long time. It's a curse because all he wants is Alice back and this version of her is evil and enjoys tricking people. So that should be an interesting dynamic moving forward.
Meanwhile in Fillory, it's so fantastic to watch as Elliot and Margo deal with a troublemaking prince from a neighboring kingdom. This episode is especially a highlight for Summer Bishil. She has always been fantastic as Margo. She's this fiercely independent woman who doesn't do anything she doesn't want to do. She speaks her mind in any occasion even when it may not be good as Queen of Fillory. Elliot has had to adjust to being ruler of this land much more so than any of the other characters. He's had to because he's married and can never leave this world. He has to take things more seriously - even though that is incredibly hard for him to do. He's still struggling as king. He's trying to do the diplomatic thing whenever possibly. And sometimes, Margo just storms in and reacts impulsively and potentially makes the situation even worse. She's absolutely right to be disgusted when Prince Ess appears and wants to marry her as a part of a new deal with Fillory. He's a frat boy leading a land named Loria, which Margo hilariously notes is full of mountains that look like penises in all shapes and sizes. That's a hilarious visual. Plus, it's just fantastic watching Margo put this dude in his place. She shows him that she is not to be messed with. Sure, she does that by sleeping with him. That shows how independent and assertive she is. But underneath it all, it's still fascinating to see her insecurities - which are still simply showing up to class at Brakebills for an exam she didn't prepare for while also being naked.
Of course, the reveal that all of this was a ruse on Loria's part to try to get a better deal from the new rulers of Fillory is excellent too. Sure, it could be potentially dangerous and reckless for Margo to announce war between the two kingdoms. As the citizens of Fillory have constantly noted, the kingdom has a number of problems that need immediate attention - especially without magic. So, a war may not be a good use of everyone's time. But then again, it may be a show of strength Elliot and Margo need to do in order to be taken seriously as rulers. Right now, they still haven't been that impressive or fixed many of the problems. The Foo Fighters are still out there trying to make Fillory a better place. Fen does come forward and tell Elliot the truth about her past. The two of them have a lot in common in that both of them had completely different lives before this marriage. And now, they need to be better because they are about to be parents. That's a lot of pressure that Elliot doesn't always handle well. So, he could lead the kingdom into war just as easily as Margo does. They are still ruling based on their emotions. That could be dangerous for the people of Fillory but it sure is compelling and exciting to think about for the next portion of the season - especially with magic continuing to die throughout the worlds.
And lastly, Julia is able to track down the woman who trapped Reynard forty years ago. She does so by doing some fine investigative work and noting a number of big events that all happened on the same day along the East Coast. She is able to trace it back to Hoboken, New Jersey of all places. As Kady amusingly notes, this may be the first interesting to happen in Hoboken. Of course, the rest of this plot soon takes a very dark twist. This woman is a lot like Julia in a number of ways. She too try summoning the goddess but was instead raped by Reynard. She became pregnant with his baby. She was able to trap him by harnessing the power that came from her giving birth. That's something that Julia really doesn't want to do. She's still exploring different ways to terminate this pregnancy. She would rather die than give birth to whatever this creature is. Of course, this woman doesn't see things like that. She just sees Julia as the younger version of herself who needs to do the same thing she did. So, she traps Julia in the basement alongside the beast who shields the house from trickster gods like Reynard. This story is a little too rushed and doesn't completely explain why all of this is happening. And yet, it's just so rousing to watch as Kady breaks Julia out of this prison. They take the beast with them - which creates an opening for Reynard to strike and kill the woman who trapped him all those years ago. So, Julia and Kady have a new tool in heir arsenal. Plus, they have a new way to terminate the pregnancy. The question now becomes: Will Julia go through with it knowing that she'll be protected from Reynard but others won't be?
Some more thoughts:
- "The Cock Barrens" was written by Noga Landau and directed by Kate Woods.
- The woman who trapped Reynard forty years ago says she gave birth and that that person has no idea who she is or how powerful he truly is. So, is that setup for some twisted reveal about a character the audience already knows? Or just important information to have for someone new about to debut? Either way that character could become important in this war between Reynard and Julia.
- Penny is also in an amusing subplot trying to find the moss in Fillory that will help make his hands work again. He's paired with the royal mapmaker who is obsessed with depicting the land as accurately as possible at any given moment. Just as he finishes one map, it quickly becomes obsolete.
- Penny also sees Margo completely naked. He walks in on her nightmare about not studying for an exam at Brakebills and showing up naked. That's completely absurd but works too considering Penny always seems to be walking in on people during their most inappropriate thoughts.
- So how did Quentin get back to Fillory? Penny is a traveler and Margo has the button. So how is he back there at the start of the episode? Of course, it doesn't really matter. Plus, he now has the button and Margo is staying in Fillory to help Elliot rule.
- Plus, will Quentin ever take his responsibilities as a king of Fillory seriously? He promises Margo and Elliot that he'll return to help them rule the kingdom after Alice's funeral. He needs to talk to her parents first. But then, he quickly becomes distracted. It seems likely he'll continue to be distracted even though Elliot and Margo are juggling a number of problems right now as well.
